Chapter 5 For a long time, Hannah sat there, staring at the room she had lived in for over a decade. Every corner carried memories-trophies she and Spencer had won as children, the very first gift he had ever given her, and the unopened presents she had once prepared for her baby who would never see the world. The room was drenched in his presence. So much of him lingered here that no amount of cleaning could erase it. Then, she realized that if she couldn't erase him from the room, she could erase herself from it. Hannah stood and gathered her belongings. There wasn't much, only a few essentials, some journals, and half of a crystal pendant. Once, it had been whole. The orphanage director had told her that she had been wearing it since she was a baby. It was the only thing truly hers. She had kept it close all her life until, one day, it slipped and broke. She had given the other half to Spencer. To her, that crystal was more than just a pendant-it was a piece of her life, her soul. The half she still kept, she had planned to give to her child. But with the child gone, this half was all she had left. She was staring at it when Bethany's syrupy voice broke through. "Anna, that pendant looks so familiar. Let me have a look." Without waiting, Bethany darted forward and snatched it from her hands. "I knew it! I saw one just like this in the trash bin in Spency's room. He said it was nothing important, so he threw it away." A sharp pain pierced Hannah's chest, leaving her almost unable to breathe. Something she cherished so deeply meant nothing at all in his eyes. Then, with a careless slip, Bethany dropped the pendant. The other half shattered on the floor. She gasped dramatically, covering her mouth. "Oh no! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it. I just lost my grip." Hannah stared at the broken half of the pendant, her mind ringing in a sudden daze. Bethany clung to Spencer's sleeve, eyes brimming with tears. "Spency, did I do something terrible? Was it expensive? I can't afford to replace it..." He immediately soothed her. "It's fine. It's just a worthless trinket." Hannah felt as if her heart were bleeding. She lifted her head, eyes blazing red, and stared at Spencer. "A worthless trinket? Spencer, if it meant nothing to you, why did you take it from me?" Her voice came out hoarse, filled with a grief so raw it was as if her very soul had been torn away. 0.0 % 09:16 Chapter 5 His throat tightened as though something were stuck there, his breathing turning strained before his expression hard- ened into coldness. "Bethany didn't mean it. Must you blow everything out of proportion?" Blow it out of proportion? To him, everything of hers was insignificant. And everything about Bethany mattered. He just didn't care about her at all. Hannah didn't argue back. She only stared at the shattered pieces on the ground, feeling as if her heart had been crushed into bloody fragments along with them. Seeing her like this, Spencer felt a strange ache in his chest, as if an invisible hand were squeezing his heart until he could barely breathe. He parted his lips after a long silence, but in the end, he said nothing and turned on his heel. Bethany, still wearing her mask of innocence, crouched down to gather the broken pieces. But her expression shifted the moment she faced Hannah. "Anna, did you know? It's not just this pendant. Spency threw everything you ever gave him. You clung to this half- piece like it mattered, but really, what's the point?" The contrast between her and the sweet, pitiful act she showed Spencer was jarring. Without lifting her head, Hannah asked flatly, "So what?" A malicious smile curved Bethany's lips. "So useless things should be discarded sooner. So did your child, who should never have existed." Hannah froze, every drop of blood in her body turning to ice. Bethany went on, her voice soft and cruel. "Spency was too softhearted to hurt you, so I had to be the bad one. That baby of yours could never be allowed to live." Hannah's mind roared, drowning out everything but the relentless movement of Bethany's lips. "So it was her. She was the one who killed my baby," she thought. Summoning every ounce of strength left in her body, Hannah raised her hand and struck Bethany across the face with a resounding crack. "Bethany, you will pay for this!" The blow was so fierce that Bethany crashed to the floor, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. But it wasn't enough. Hannah lunged forward and seized Bethany by the throat, her eyes blazing red with hatred. The commotion drew people from outside. Spencer rushed in, only to find this shocking scene. "Spency... help me... please," Bethany gasped, struggling under Hannah's grip. Stunned, he tried to pull Hannah away, only to realize with shock that her small body radiated a terrifying strength, one even he struggled against. Fury flared in him. He shoved her away with brutal force, sending her crashing into the wall. 44.7 % 09:16 Chapter 5 288 Vouchers Her head struck hard, but she didn't even register the pain. All she could see was Bethany-the murderer of her child. But then Spencer's hand clamped tightly around her neck. He roared, "Hannah, are you insane? Why would you hurt Bethany?" Hannah clawed desperately at his hand, but his grip wouldn't budge. At last, her voice broke into a hoarse, anguished scream. "She killed my baby, Spencer! She killed my baby!" 92.2 % 09:16